Sunday, March 27, 2011

staying alive

As part of my ongoing bid to live deliberately and eat whatever the hell I want without worrying about weight gain, I've decided to try a new exercise.

Spinning will now be included in my sketchy fitness regimen (if you can call my patchy run+yoga modus operandi a "regime").

I hear spinning works wonders for strengthening the core and the quads, and will eventually help me run better. I've recently hit a wall and can't seem to run faster or longer, so I figured I needed to cross train.

The other side of the small gym in the condo. To the left are the spinning bicycles. (I don't use those weight machines - scary!)

Luckily, I don't have to spend money going to a fancy spinning class because the little condo gym has TWO spinning bikes. Being a treadmill junkie, I've never paid attention to them before. But then I started noticing a neighbor - a foreigner, woman, in her early 30's like me - using them regularly. And two days ago, I read that Brooke Shields spins 3x a week. That sealed the deal.

Wow, I thought. If I want to age as well as Brooke is aging, I must spin. It's only logical. (Hint of sarcasm, in case you miss it.)

So yesterday, I started doing position 1, 2, and 3 as explained here:

I've never felt more like a beginner. I could only hold position 2 for 1 minute, and position 3 for 30 seconds. The simultaneous burn on my quads and my lower core was indescribable, and my heart was pounding out of my chest. This must be what bad sex feels like.

After 30 minutes of sitting, then "climbing hills" with positions 2 and 3, and then sitting again, I decided to cool down. I'll be back next week. MSP found me this complete spinning workout on YouTube. It's a series - there are SEVEN parts. I'm getting tired just thinking about it:

Once I figure out how I can mount my phone on the bike, I can watch this as I spin. I probably won't be able to keep up, but I can pretend.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

high and low

Traveling is not always easy, but it is alwaystransformative.

You think you come back the same person, but you don't. You always take impressions with you, and these little indentations in your consciousness change the way you see the world and spend the rest of your life.

The most recent local trips I made - 10 days and 3,000 altitude meters apart - proved two things:

(1) I can thrive even in unglamorous circumstances, wearing polyester.

(2) A good swim top gives me cleavage.

Way up there

It was the last week of cold month of February. After a total of 12 hours of land travel and nearly 5 hours of hiking, we reached the summit of the highest mountain in Luzon, and the 106th in the world - Mt. Pulag.

Climbing a mountain is not so much about physical strength than it is about tenacity of the mind - the ability to push on, to deal with a completely new environment, and to survive on whatever you manage to carry with you.

I already knew I could trek for long hours. My running prepared me for that. I was worried about other things:

(a) the cold weather + altitude(b) not showering for 36 hours(c) bad coffee(d) sleeping in a small tent(e) peeing in a disposable urinal

The summit and sea of clouds Amazingly, I did all these and survived with dignity and grace. It really takes very little to get by. All you really need is good company and a sense of adventure. That said, I still missed my big fluffy bed.

Down below

Pandan Island Less than two weeks later (and after panicked days of beating deadlines), I found myself in Puerto Princesa, getting a tan. As usual, I stayed near the sand and floated around the shallower parts of the beach (thanks to my personal life vest). I will swim one day, perhaps almost as well as I run.

Down in Palawan, everything is cheap - lobsters, fresh seafood, transportation. The relaxed pace is sobering for someone used to Manila's hurried and overpriced lifestyle. I hope it stays authentic and doesn't turn into Boracay.

Next on the list

There's nothing on my travel itinerary for the next 6 months. It's time to focus on work.

(Our own brands have been neglected. But because of short-term financial goals, it's very hard to get out of slavery to clients. I KNOW it's time to concentrate on our own brands. It's time to think longer term. I shouldn't be spending my life making someone else's business flourish. It's depressing.)

Come October, I'm packing my bags again. I will finally get to see Laos, completing my French Indochina adventure. There are hotels and sleeper train tickets to be booked. Planning is going to be a little more complicated than usual.

And then it will be 2012 - possibly the end of humanity. I wonder what my last thought would be. Whatever it is, I hope it's unapologetic.